Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Series 5 (Standard plastic case packaging) [DVD] [1998]

Having dealt with the Master, Angelus and Acaltha, Faith Mayor Wilkins, and Adams and the Intiative, the ante gets upped beyond vampires and demons to the level of a god for the season's final battle. After the abbreviated first season Whedon always comes up with a first half story arc that combines with the second half story arc for the big finish, but this year Glory shows up in episode five. However, Joss remains true to the formula because the Fifth Season comes down to Dawn and Glory, and even with the appearance of a deranged deity from another dimension, it is the sudden appearance of Buffy's kid sister that defines the season.

Dawn pops up at the end of the season premier episode, "Dracula," the first really comic opening for a Buffy season, and we do not find out about the "Key" until the fifth episode, "No Place Like Home." But then we do not find out that Glory is a god until Quentin Travers drops that little bombshell at the end of "Checkpoint." If anything, I would have liked Joss to have played out the mystery a bit longer, but it was fun to have Buffy and everyone just accept Dawn and the idea that she had always been there. Plus, throwing a bratty kid sister into the Buffy mix is a nice way of shaking things up. Then again, Joss had a way of topping that with regards to Joyce Summers.

There are a few choice examples of significant character evolutions in the history of television programming, and with "BtVS" we can add Spike's name to the honor role that includes Margaret Houlihan and Charles Emerson Winchester from "M*A*S*H," and Lou Grant going from a supporting character on a classic sitcom to the lead of a dramatic program. The chip the Initiative put in Spike's head in Season Four was only the start of the fun, because now Spike has been having dreams about the Slayer. William the Bloody with a crush in his head. The end result is that in "The Gift" so many of the memorable moments involve Spike: Willow tells him to go and he goes, the look on his face when he realizes he has failed Dawn, and the fact that he is the one who totally breaks down sobbing at the end. Throw into the mix Spike's refusal to tell Glory about the Key and his reward from Buffy.

The Fifth Season is not without its flaws. Glory is given a convenient Achilles heel regarding Ben and manages to avoid a sustained all-out assault until the final trio of episodes. In terms of character transformations we also have Xander renouncing his role as the show's "butt monkey" and Anya becoming the show's comic relief. I appreciate the desire to do the former but the latter gets played out way too often over the rest of the series. Compare the Anya that was turned human in Season Three with what we have at this point; did she really learn nothing during 4,000 years as a vengeance demon? After all, she was human once, and in a bad marriage: did she forget all that? I reached my Anya saturation point during this season, where I started wincing a lot at her comments (but Whedon does use this for a great moment in "The Body").

Of course, if we are talking changes in characters then we have to applaud the Willow that takes over at the low point of the season when Buffy retreats into her self in "The Weight of the World." In retrospect it is rather astounding to look at how many changes the gang goes through in the Fifth Season. From where they started, seldom have characters come this far; and there are still two seasons to go.

In terms of DVD extras all you need to know is that Joss Whedon does audio commentary for "The Body." You already know he should have had an Emmy nomination for writing that one, but he should have been nominated for director too: pay attention to the way he uses the camera to capture Buffy's disorientation and provide one of the best portrayals of grief in television history.

The pilot, 'Buffy Vs. Dracula', side-steps potential corniness to put a post-modern spin on the tale. Indeed, for anyone who's read the book it's a real treat to see Buffy and her gang adopt personas from the book and witness an absolutely hilarious ending as well as get a few allusion to what is to come. Other episodes worth pinpointing are 'Fool For Love', an outstanding episode that deserves kudos for its technical innovation as we get to see how Spike killed two Slayers in the past. As usual though the Joss Whedon penned episodes are the best, with 'Family' moving forward leaps and bounds in its gentle depiction of a normal lesbian relationship in Willow and Tara. However, it's 'The Body' that is perhaps not only one of the best 'Buffy' episodes yet but one of the best moments in the whole of television history. Set over one day we get to see, in four scenes only, the gang's reaction to the horrific death of someone close to them. Quite simply, it is the best study of grief that I have ever witnessed, either on the small screen or in the cinemas. Whilst Buffy is too shocked to say anything, Dawn breaks down, Willow becomes paranoid about how she should be acting and Anya achieves a glimpse at mortality that terrifies her. Any other show would be tempted to have a sentimental episode filled with tears and heartache but Whedon manages to get you crying from single lines - in particular Willow's yearning 'Can't I just be a grown-up'? Never has television been so painful, so gripping and so outstanding. There's also an impressive use of the long-shot and a complete lack of any score that adds to the poignancy and realism of the episode. Whedon also wrote the season finale, 'The Gift', which offers a fantastically mounted confrontation between Buffy and Glory as well as a conclusion that's shocking and heartbreaking.

Of course, it would be wrong to talk of 'Buffy' and not mention the performances. Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance in the title role constantly speaks actress of a generation, especially in the episode 'Forever'. The show always gives each actor a chance to shine though. Nicholas Brendon shows amazing versatility in 'The Replacement', where he gets to play both his good self and his useless self. Alyson Hannigan puts in her best performance yet in 'The Body', Clare Kramer puts in a wonderfully over-the-top performance as Glory and Michelle Trachtenberg shows amazing maturity in her performance in 'Blood Ties', an episode that has more than a passing reference to adoption. It's commendable that any actress could fit so well into an already well-established cast.

The only real thing to say is that this is a show that has matured along with its characters and audience. It started off excellently, something original that cleverly used metaphors to represent life as a teenager. Who'd have thought that it could have sustained its excellence across what is now seven series? It remains innovative, involving and constantly interesting. If it wasn't for its title and people's bias that this is a children's show (it's not) this would be seen for what it is: a landmark in television history.